Over Rugging Horses Australia

Horse owners have different opinions when it comes to rugging your horse correctly for temperature rain humidity sun and protection from insects.

Over rugging horses australia.

Rugs and stabling prevent sunlight from reaching the skin which is necessary for the generation of vitamin d. I often see horses rugged 24 hrs a day in winter rugs basically wearing winter rugs from. If horses have access to shade they will utilise it in the heat of the day. So some horses will lose weight when they are too hot all the time.

Sweating causes the skin to become hyper hydrated the effect you get when you stay in the bath too long and more prone to damage and infection. Risks of rugging or over rugging rubbing especially if causing the horse to sweat. One of the horses i saw in winter rugs during my ride on that warm winters day standing in the shade to try and cool down. The owner may think the horse is losing weight because it is feeling the cold and so they put another rug on making the situation worse.

Horses have a wonderful capacity of self care of which their internal thermostat is included. Horses actually handle the cold better than heat and a common misconception amongst horse owners is that horses needs to be rugged at night as soon as it is getting a bit cooler at nights. With the arrival of winter your horse may appreciate an extra layer of insulation to keep them warm in cold temperatures wind and rain. However if not monitored carefully over and under rugging your horse can have consequences for their health and wellbeing.

Rugging over heating and other considerations. Over rugging can also affect the appetite causing a horse to eat less as well as the body s ability to control its metabolism. This is a temperature range at which the body can maintain normal body temperature without expending too much energy. Horses are mammals and they maintain their internal body temperature at around 38 c through a well developed mechanism known as thermoregulation which has developed through evolution so that the body temperature is maintained within a narrow range.

First the science bit. Horses have a very different thermoneutral zone tnz to humans. If this is an issue for you confine your horse to shade through the day in hot weather with access to hay and turn them out at night. Just like us every horse is an individual so changing your horse s rugs.

A basic guide to rugging horses. As detailed in pony club australia s revised syllabus of instruction c certificate manual every living creature has a tnz. Over rugging actually causes many more problems than those associated with a cold horse and many manmade issues can be avoided with correct usage of rugs. All too often are horses over rugged as their owner is feeling a bit nippy.